Rush’s Drummer Neil Peart Retires

[Prime Time]

http://consequenceofsound.net/2015/12/rushs-neil-peart-says-hes-retired-from-music/

Rush’s Neil Peart says he’s retired from music
"There comes a time to... take yourself out of the game"
BY ALEX YOUNG

Over the the summer, Rush embarked on their “R40 Tour” celebrating the 40th anniversary of drummer Neil Peart’s membership in the band. At the time, bandmate Alex Lifeson said it would likely be the band’s final full-scale tour together due to his psoriatic arthritis and Peart’s chronic tendonitis.

While Lifeson left the door open for future projects, including smaller tours and soundtrack work, he said the band’s ultimate fate lays in the hands of music’s greatest drummer.

If that’s the case, it appears Rush is no more. In a new interview with Drumhead Magazine (via Jambase), Peart spoke frankly about his coming to terms with retirement.

“… Lately Olivia has been introducing me to new friends at school as ‘My dad– He’s a retired drummer.’ True to say–funny to hear. And it does not pain me to realize that, like all athletes, there comes a time to… take yourself out of the game. I would rather set it aside then face the predicament described in our song ‘Losing It’ (‘Sadder still to watch it die, than never to have known it’).”

Aside from aforementioned health issues, Peart previously mentioned his desire to spend more time with family. Following the tragic deaths of his daughter and first wife in the late ’90s, Peart remarried in 2000. He and his wife had a daughter, Olivia, in 2009.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrhnhXHVSQg

 

[IowaRam]

Is Tom Sawyer thee most covered Drum song of all time

Tom Sawyer is to drums as Smoke On The Water is to Guitars

 

[RamzFanz]

Rush fan or not, best rock drummer ever.

I saw them in their heyday with the spinning cage drum set above the crowd on a crane and it was mind blowing. His drum cage had 200 pieces as I recall.

 

[thirteen28]

End of an era. I'm so glad I got to see Rush on their last two tours, as well as the other shows I saw them on dating all the way back to 1979. Peart was an incredible drummer and lyric writer. On the former, he raised the bar and inspired a lot of other good drummers of today, such as Mike Portnoy. There never be another band like Rush or another drummer like Neil Peart.

 

[Ramhusker]

Damnit man.

 

[fearsomefour]

No way to gage best by any means.
But, anyone who has ever played rock drums owes a debt to a couple of guys and Peart is certainly one of them.
What made him so special to me is learning what odd time signatures were by listening to Rush songs when I started playing the drums. Also, his drum parts just fit the songs so damned perfectly. Instead of just keeping time he was a real contributing member of the band, melodic as much as rhythmic sometimes. Special, special drummer who happened to find the perfect band for his vision at the perfect time. A pretty great lyricist as well.
Thank you Neil.

 

[LesBaker]

Rush fan or not, best rock drummer ever.

I saw them in their heyday with the spinning cage drum set above the crowd on a crane and it was mind blowing. His drum cage had 200 pieces as I recall.

I'm a HUGE Rush fan and was listening to them before most people even knew they were a band. I grew up in Cleveland, and the rock station there WMMS played Rush when they were just a band playing bars in Canada. They "broke" Rush, and there is an article about it that you can read right here.....and it's wrth reading it's very, very cool..........the first pic is the band with some of the on air talent from WAY back.

WMMS was at one time considered the best rock station in the USA and were very progressive, they even won Rolling Stones station of the year award several times though a couple of times there was "payola" involed (cocaine LOL). If you have their original album, which I did and so did a lot of other kids in Cleveland, it says on the back "thanks to WMMS for getting the ball rolling" or something like that I cannot remember the exact phrasing.

http://www.cleveland.com/popmusic/index.ssf/2011/04/after_donna_halper_gave_workin.html

All that said, and again I am a HUGE Rush fan and have plenty of their music on my device...........BUT.........Carl Palmer is the greatest rock drummer ever and possibly the best drummer who ever lived.

@fearsomefour @thirteen28 Peart wrote as well as anyone in rock or modern music IMO. Rush wouldn't have lasted as long as they did without his songwriting. He made their music interesting and vibrant.

 

[HeiseNBerg]

Huge Rush fan here -- I've caught them on every tour since Power Windows (1985).

You always knew at some point this was going to happen, but it doesn't make it any less of a bummer.

What I loved most about Rush was the attitude that they're going to do their own thing, profitability be damned.

If you haven't seen the 2010 documentary "Rush: Beyond The Lighted Stage", I can't recommend it enough -- even if you're a casual fan.

And it's available to stream on Netflix (huzzah!)

 

[LesBaker]

Huge Rush fan here -- I've caught them on every tour since Power Windows (1985).

You always knew at some point this was going to happen, but it doesn't make it any less of a bummer.

What I loved most about Rush was the attitude that they're going to do their own thing, profitability be damned.

If you haven't seen the 2010 documentary "Rush: Beyond The Lighted Stage", I can't recommend it enough -- even if you're a casual fan.

And it's available to stream on Netflix (huzzah!)

HeisenBerg is right, I've seen this and it is a MUST WATCH if you are a Rush fan of any kind.

 

[Yamahopper]

I thought they all retired after "All the worlds a stage" and were replaced by some out of work Bee Gee impersonators.

 

[Dodgersrf]

One of the greatest bands ever. They were my favorite band in Jr. High, back in `83.
Still love to hear them to this day.
They are an amazing band to see live as well.

 

[Pancake]

Not only a loss of one great drummer but he was also an incredible lyricist.

 

[RAMSinLA]

View: https://youtu.be/LWRMOJQDiLU

 

[Dieter the Brock]

I grew up playing all their jams - tons of Rush stories - but the one jam I had mastered was this one that technically was about as hesh and glorious as you could get in 1990 in a garage with just bass and drums

You gotta imagine two dudes one a skinny white dude and another a black guy busting out the Neil pert in a garage in Fullerton in 98 degree weather and if we F up at any point we start over again until we get though the entire jam unscathed

Youth man, so great that I had that passion and endurance and thanks for Neil and Geddy for their hesh precision to give us dreamers and musicians something to shoot for


View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=u7W0Nm8iHwk

 

[thirteen28]

I grew up playing all their jams - tons of Rush stories - but the one jam I had mastered was this one that technically was about as hesh and glorious as you could get in 1990 in a garage with just bass and drums

You gotta imagine two dudes one a skinny white dude and another a black guy busting out the Neil pert in a garage in Fullerton in 98 degree weather and if we F up at any point we start over again until we get though the entire jam unscathed

Youth man, so great that I had that passion and endurance and thanks for Neil and Geddy for their hesh precision to give us dreamers and musicians something to shoot for


View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=u7W0Nm8iHwk

That's such an awesome song on just about every level you can think of.

 

[Mojo Ram]

The single reason i began playing drums 32 years ago.
Hail to my King and thank you.

 

[Mojo Ram]

I was a socially awkward, low self esteemed 13 yr old with no friends when i first discovered Rush and that drummer. I bought a crappy 5 piece set and practiced my chops every day after school for 18 months like clockwork. Playing with the radio wearing headphones. Mostly rock, blues, top 40. Soon got a tape deck and began trying to play with Neil. I quickly found my confidence in being quite good at something(for the first time in my life). My entire life opened up soon after as i met other musicians who shared my passion for music and remained friends for life with many of them.

The first Rush song i learned to play through chop for chop...and still my favorite Rush tune for both musical & personal reasons which i mentioned above.

 

[HeiseNBerg]

I was a socially awkward, low self esteemed 13 yr old with no friends when i first discovered Rush and that drummer. I bought a crappy 5 piece set and practiced my chops every day after school for 18 months like clockwork. Playing with the radio wearing headphones. Mostly rock, blues, top 40. Soon got a tape deck and began trying to play with Neil. I quickly found my confidence in being quite good at something(for the first time in my life). My entire life opened up soon after as i met other musicians who shared my passion for music and remained friends for life with many of them.

The first Rush song i learned to play through chop for chop...and still my favorite Rush tune for both musical & personal reasons which i mentioned above.

Subdivisions -- also one of my all-time favorite Rush tunes. Definitely strikes a chord for anyone and everyone who wasn't part of the "in" crowd growing up.

 

[RhodyRams]

have seen RUSH 13 times...might say I am a fan

This was talked about among Rush followers since they began the R40 tour, which I saw in Boston back in August